William filmee



(No Mbdel.)

W. vFILMER.

CLAMP FOR SECURING STEREOTYPE PLATES.

No. 374,667. Patented Dec. 13, 1887.

-NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FILMER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CLAMP FQR SECURING STEREO TYPE-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,667, dated December 13, 1887.

Application filed January 6. 1887. Serial No. 223,652. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FILMER, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Clamps for Securing Stereotype-Plates; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to means for securing stereotype-plates; and it consists in the improved constructions and combinations of device, which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim. I

In order to more fullyunderstand my invention, I will at the outset review briefly the previous steps in this connection.

The most obvious way of attaching a stereotype-plate to its supporting bed or block is by permanent fastenings-such as screws-but this way is open to the serious objection of preventing the ready removal of the stereotypeplate for the purpose of pasting the thin strips of material behind it to bring up thelight spots. This permanent fastening is therefore not much used, and in its stead there have been used means for clamping the stereotype-plate to its supporting-bed in sucha manner that the plate'may be readily removed from said bed. One of the first ways in which this was done was to make up the supporting-bed of a number of independent quadrats, those on the sides being provided with hooks for engaging the beveled edge of the plate and holding it. Another way, and intimately connected with the previous one, was to insert among the others, and as one of the quadrats, a peculiar quadrat with an adjustable hook and another with a stationary hook, whereby the block or supporting-bed was entirely made up of quadrats of which the hook-carrying ones formed component parts. The well-known disadvantages attendant upon these methods were to a certain extent obviated by using a solid or integral block to form the bed, instead of one made up of a number of quadrats', and letting an adjustable hook into the body of the block, so that plates of different sizes might at different times be clamped to the same block. This, while an improvement on the previous forms, is open to the objection of expense, by reason of the necessity of keeping on hand a number of these expensive blocks, and even with the greatest care it often happens that a block of the proper size cannot be found, even though by reason of its adjustable hooks there is so much variation possible. This variation proved in some cases a detriment, for thereason that where the plate was so much smaller than its supporting-block too much waste space was thus made, whereby the margin was increased to such an extent that the block was useless.

The object of my invention is to overcome these various difficulties by providing a clamp which,while having the advantage of previous ones-such as allowing the read y removal of the stereotype-plate-willhave 11 one of their disadvantages, but will be adapted for better and more, extensive use. It will permit the use of single blocks of an inexpensive character, which, on account of their cheapness, may be kept on hand or provided in suitable numbers necessary for receiving any stereotypeplate 'of practicallythe same size as the block, thereby doing away with the necessity for variation. I

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is-a perspective view of the detachable clamps with adjustable hooks. Fig; 2 is a section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the opposing detachable clamps with fixed hooks. Fig. i is a view showing the clamps in position holding the stereotype-plate to its block, the whole being locked up ip the chase.

A is the/chase. V

B is the block or supporting-bed for the stereotype-plate C.

D is the wood furniture.

E is the metal furniture, and F are quoins.

G are the clamps which have the adjustable hooks. These clamps consist of small stocks orbodies, preferably of metal, saidstocks having near one edge in their top a longitudinal groove, 9, and a transverse groove or slot, both of said grooves communicating with a chamber or hollowed-out portion, 9, in which is mounted transversely a screw, 9 having on one end apinion, g, accessible through the longitudinal groove 9 to the ratchet-faced tool by which it is operated.

9 is ahook the shank g of which is threaded I upon the screw, whereby by the rotation of said screw the hook may be moved forward and back over the top of the stock, its shank playing in the transverse groove 9 thereof. These clamps, it will be seen by reference to Fig. 4., form no part whatever of the platesupporting bed 13, but simply bear against its edges, and are pressed thereto by the adj ustment of the quoins. Their hooks are moved inwardly, so as to engage with the beveled edge of the stereotype-plate, which said edge comes out nearly to or flush with the edge of its supporting-block.

H are adjustable clamps, consisting of thin pieces of metal having their upper edges formed in hooks h. These are placed on the opposite sides of the block, though not attached thereto, and are held in place by the furniture of the chase, their hooks engaging the beveled edge of the plate and holding it to the block.

I is the detachable stop at the top of the block,which is employed, as usual, for the purpose of getting the register. It will now be seen that by the employment of these detachable clamps, which form no part of the platesupporting block or bed, I am enabled to use a block or bed of some cheap and easily-fur nished character, so as to make it of about the size of the plate to rest thereon, whereby I do away with the necessity for any variation of adjustment of the same block to difle'rentsized plates. j H

The clamps themselves are cheap enough to be kept in any required numbers, and there'- fore by reason of this and the possibility of using a cheap block orbed, always to be had for the plate, I am enabled to readily adjust any-sized plate and lock it up in the chase without the necessity of having on hand an expensive assortment of adjustable blocks.

Having thus described myinvention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in clamps for securing stereotype-plates, consisting in the combination of a block or supporting-bed for the plate of approximately the same superficial dimensions as said plate, and detachable clamps independent of the block and locked in the chase against the edges of the block, said clamps having adjustable hooks projecting over their edges and binding upon the stereotype-plate, whereby it is held to the block, substantially as herein described.

2. The clamps for securing the plate to its supporting bed or block, consisting of independent stocks to be locked against the bed or block and provided with a screw-actuated hook projecting over the inner edge of the stock, whereby it may engage the edgeof the plate and hold it to its bed, substantially as herein described.

, In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

, WILLIAM FILMER. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE,

H. 0. LEE. 

